Scutching apparatus



Sept. 22, 1953 Filed Nov. 18, 1947 D. E. U'REN SCUTCHING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Se t. 22, 1953 D. E. UREN SCUTCHING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 18, 194'? \NUENTOQ, Dw/cwr E. (J'PEA/ ATTDIENIEU Sept. 22, 1953 D. E. U'REN SCUTCHING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Nov. 18, 1947 INUENTOR Dw/ awr- E2 0195M A'r'ronuzw Patented Sept. 22, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SCUTCHING APPARATUS Dwight E. URen, Beaver Dam, Wis.

Application November 18, 1947, Serial No. 786,684

Claims. I.

This invention relates to improvements in scutching apparatus for decorticating such fibrous stems as those of hemp, flax, jute, sisal, ramie, etc.

It is the object of the invention to provide simple and efiective means for decorticating the fibers while the fibers are largely air borne, the manipulation of the fibers by the air currents being an important part of the operation, and the entire process being conducted so gently and at such low speed as to leave a maximum of line fiber and a minimum of the short or snarled tow.

It is my further object to provide an arrangement in which the hurds are cleaned from the fiber both from the top and bottom sides thereof and from end to end of the fiber, the grasp of the machine on the fiber being shifted midway through the machine so that the portions of the fiber originally held are later exposed for the combing action.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to comb out the fiber starting with a zone at the extreme ends of a given bundle of fibers and progressively extending the length of each outward combing stroke to elongate the working zone toward the longitudinal center of the bundle, brushing and smoothing the fiber rather than cutting and tearing it and leaving the fiber in a parallel form which can be used to better advantage.

While each combing stroke is outward in direction, it is important that the combing opera tions commence at or near the ends of the fibers and are expanded inwardly with gradually in creasing length of stroke until the entire length of the fiber is combed from the immediate proximity of the point at which it is grasped. After the fiber is brushed and smoothed and straightened progressively from one end toward the midpoint at which it is grasped, the machine automatically grasps a portion of the fiber which has already been fully combed and cleaned and the machine commences from the opposite end of the fibers to comb them, progressively enlarging the combing operation, until portions of the fibers originally held are combed. Since the long fiber or line is valuable, whereas the tangled and snarled short fiber or tow has relatively little value, it is important that my improved apparatus produces a much higher percentage of line than any decorticating apparatus heretofore known, while at the same time leaving the line cleaner and softer.

Other objects of the invention and details of the apparatus in which the invention is embodied will be apparent from the following disclosure.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partially in longitudinal section and partially in side elevation showing apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view in cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view taken in horizontal section through the apparatus, most of the apparatus being shown in plan but the top chains being omitted.

Fig. 4 is a detail view taken in transverse section on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view in perspective showing the interleaved decorticating rotors, portions of the housing and conveyor mechanism being shown in section.

Fig. 6 is a greatly enlarged detail view in cross section through a portion of one of the conveyors.

Fig. '7 is a similarly enlarged view in longitudinal section through one of the conveyors. Fig. 8' is an enlarged fragmentary detail View in perspective showing one of the rotor vanes.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view in perspective showing a slightly modified form of rotor vane.

The frame II] supports a first pair of decortieating rotors II, I2 each provided with its own shafts I3, [4, respectively. These shafts are driven by chains l5, I6 from jack shafts I'l, It as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and the shafts are connected by meshing gears I9, 20 to rotate in unison.

' Rotor I2 is provided with vanes 2| which. may conveniently be three in number. These vanes project in a generally radial direction and may be reenforced on their rear faces by angles 22, 23 (Figs. 5 and 8). Marginally, they may be finished with combing blades '25, the exposed free margins of which are preferably rounded as shown at 26 in Fig. 3. The radial projection of the blades is progressively reduced toward the end of the rotor first encountered by the fiber in order that the initial brushing or combing action of the blades will be limited to the outer ends of the fiber, the combing action gradually being extended until the entire exposed length of each fiber is being acted upon.

Rotor II has vanes 2I0 substantially identical with those already described and provided with similar reenforcement at 22 and similar combing blades at 25. In addition, one of the vanes of one of the rotors, preferably the vane 2 of rotor I I, has comb teeth 26 which project radial 1y from each margin as best shown in Figs. 5 and 9. The margin may have its rear face reenforced by an angle 23 as already described. Immediate ly within the reenforcement the vane has apertures 27 within which the angular ends of the comb teeth 26 are held. Spacers 28 between the comb teeth hold the teeth in the proper position and the teeth are fixed between the spacers by the cover plate 29, from which the points of the free ends of the respective teeth project. The cover plate. is screwed: at intenvalsi'to :thea: vane 21!. It will, of course, be understood that a greater or lesser number of vanes may be mounted on the rotors and more of them, if desired, may be equipped with comb teeth. The arrangement shown and described has, however, proved' very successful in practice.

The spacing between shafts l3 and M is so determined with reference-to thelength"of the vanes 2!, 2m and 2i I that as the rotors. are. actuated, each vane in turn just clears the opposing rotor. The vanesare preferably not exactly. radial,-but given a slight forward pitches :shown in Fig. 2. The driving chains forthe respective rotors are so adjusted, thatthev vanes. are .inter- .leaved, each vaneof one rotor passing. mldway guide. 39 at .a. level approximately. the, same. .as .the, level ofushaft [3.

,There, is just. clearance for the vanes of rotor l2 .topass, beneaththe conveyor guide. and .for the. vanes of rotor. ll to pass downwardly besideit. Above conveyor guide 30is an opposed-conveyor-v guide,3l and confined betweenthe guides. 30 ,and 3 I are'thesupporting conveyor. 32. .andthe. clamping conveyor .33 .between which are heldthelfibersf35..to.bedecorv.ticated. The ..conveyorsrare,shown.irt detail in Figs. 6 .and- '7 but, being-generally conventional,

need not be'describedspecifically except to :refer .to. the .fact that the clamping conveyor-comprises .a seriesof clamping .shoes.36.mounted on-levers 31. which .have rollers38 .operating,on,.the. guide .32. .The.clamping pressure is'afforded by compression springs .39 acting. individually between the respective. shoes and the respectivelevers.

The, guide 39 fonthe. transporting conveyonis .desirably extended ateach .sidegof frame Nix-upon arms 45; 4|.asbestshown in-Fig.=.1.']3he.transporting 1conveyorn32 comprises,;a chain-guided around sprockets: 43, .44, at the .endsof. arms.

and 4! and also guided by sprockets 45,...46at

the. bottompf the frame. sprocketidfilmayr be .a source. of power communicated theretoebysa driving chain. 41.

The clamping conveyorrzii passes. aroundguide sprocketsAdAfi, the latter of which-.may-.be.the source of power communicated-thereto: by chain Connected to the conveyor..=guide; 30- and:.ex-

tending arcuately and downwardlytherefrom another pair. of rotors H and I 2,:identical .with

those. already described,. except..that.their relative positions are reversed.. .as shownin Above the rotor. 52, now. located. at? the left as Viewed in Fig. 2,. runs; the supporting. conveyor 326. Above this is the.clamping conveyor330.

Conveyor 320 laps conveyor 32 as best shown in Fig. 3, being laterally offset therefrom toward the side at which rotor l l is located in frame l0, this being the side of conveyor 32 on which the fibers 5 have been combed and brushed.

Between the two frames l and I00, the housing i which has extended through frame [0 about the rotor l2 gradually runs out and, just beyond the end of supporting conveyor 32, this ilhousing becomes approximately: vertical at 5I0, --'wh-ere'-its upper marg-in'iscarried over and connected with the conveyor guide 300 of conveyor K320. Meantime, from a substantially vertical ..beginning. at 5 in connection with conveyor guide" 30 of conveyor 32, the housing 5I2 which .zipasses through frame I09 gradually assumes its full rounded form about the rotor l2 in frame 105, as best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. At the .rdelivery end of the device, housing 5l2 again runs out at 513 and tapers downwardly and centrally to. a. delivery rack- 5 I Lwhichcomprises an extensionsbeyond the end-of .eonveyor ,.320 .(Figs. 1 and..3).

For such short-stemmed plants as-uflaxaand .ramie, the proportions-of :themachine would be ,.relatively.-.small. For tallgrowing plants.--such ..as sisaland. jute,..all of the-dimensions would have. .to be. correspondingly.(large. ...-In..an inter- .mediatesize themachine is-useddor; ahemp.

It. will be understood that ithewstalksnofathe plant are retted in the usual unannertcr-enable bacterial .action .torot away .-the plantcells: which connect the fiber. .The\.-previously'='retted .fiber .35 isthrown across .theline chain 32rwhere such chain is exposedaat:the,-1efthand :or iinputrend of the .machine,vasdviewediinFigsl l; and 3. iiBe- ..fore it enters :the. frame 4 0 the ifiber; is; clamped .by the clamping!'conveyora33to. the-iline-zchain 32 at a point-approximatelyfmidway betweenrits ends. The projecting end portionswflllzofzihe fiber rideontotthe exterior -.of .rther.housingi 5| .where they are supported :free-rof conta'ctmvith -.theunderlying.rotor l2.. The-projecting endzportions 35 l of atheafiber: are subjected: progressively to. longerand: longer. strokeszrofctheircombing 1 and brushingzblad-es of the. respectivenrotors and tothe turbulent 7' air currents rproducedzr by .the interleaved blades which throw the: sfiberscfirst downwardly andzjthengupwardly in that-manner indicated by the full and dotted-lines 'OfEFigSZ (Fig. 2, however, relating -more': particularly to the operations conductedrin framez 10H) .It' will be observed 'thatzthecblades: of :both

rotors move outwardly along", the 'fibersttowa'rd the ,f-ree -endsv thereof. Eachablade" ;iat""the end cfa vane ,-of rotor l2 will:brush the-.under surfaces of the :fibers in an -upward-:;direction, while each.blade,25 or comb tooth 26: of thezupper rotor H willbrushtheupper surfaces of.-the:respectivefibers downwardly and outwardly. addition; there will be blasts of.air.movingahead of'each of the vanes .which will keep .the- .fibers in motion and assist in .the loosening of.. the hurds.

Whereas the" ordinary decorticating machine has rapidly rotating cylinders which mustlbe operated at a high rate of speed and usually brush only the top side ofthe fiber, the -present-rotors or cylinders travel at a:slow speed combing and brushing-both sides of 'the line' fib'erstartingnear the ends of the-lineand.iprogressivelyincreasing the stroke until the stroke commences' nearthe middleof the line, the increase being-duetmthe conical overall form of the respecti-vewcylinders.

. If. the combing. actionwere to startimmediately near the center of the line, any snarl would necessarily involve tearing out large portions of the line which would thereupon be useful only as tow and would lose much of their value. By starting the combing action near the ends of the line, the snarls are gradually worked out and the line is straightened and softened with a minimum loss in the way of tow.

After one end of the bundle of fibers has been combed out in the manner above described, the line chain 32 laps the beginning of line chain 32!] and as'the bundle of fibers is clamped to chain 320, it is released from chain 32. The previously combed end portion 35l of the fiber now lies over housing 5l2 while the uncombed ends of the fibers are exposed to the cylinders H and I2 of frame I00. Due to the change of the point at which the line is held, the portions thereof originally clamped against chain 32 are now exposed for brushing and combing action. Thus the entire length of the fiber is uniformly softened, cleaned and straightened.

The housings 5| and SH which support that portion of the line fiber not being acted upon by the cylinders are also of advantage in confining the air ahead of the respective blades of the cylinders I 2, thus tending to make the line fibers float upwardly on the air currents ahead of the vanes, working the fibers and softening the action of the blades by pneumatically supporting the fibers during initial blade engagement therewith.

I claim:

1. A scutching machine comprising two line chains laterally offset, the delivery end of the first line chain lapping the receiving end of the second line chain, means for actuating said chains, a scutching cylinder having its axis substantially directly beneath each such chain and provided with scutching means projecting laterally at both sides of the chain, housings at opposite sides of the respective chains extending oppositely about the respective cylinders aforesaid to cover each such cylinder at one side of its respective chain, leaving the other side of such cylinder exposed, the said housings having a unitary oblique housing connection which extends at substantially the full width of the respective housings in plan diagonally from one of said housings to the other, smoothly merging therewith, a second scutching cylinder laterally adjacent each chain, the respective cylinders associated with the respective chains having interleaved blades, means for driving the respective cylinders in a direction such that the respective vanes move outwardly from the respective chains, the line supported on the first chain being delivered to the second chain, and the engagement of the second chain therewith being offset from the point of engagement of the first chain therewith, whereby portions of such line not reached by the cylinders associated with the first chain will be scutched by the cylinders associated with the second chain.

2. A scutching machine comprising a pair of laterally offset line chains, the delivery end of the first line chain lapping the receiving end of the second line chain, means for operating the respective chains for delivery of line from the first chain to the second, a pair of scutching cylinders associated with each chain, there being one scutching cylinder substantially axially directly beneath each of the respective chains and provided with scutching means projecting laterally at both sides of the chain, and another scutching cylinder disposed beside each of the respective chains with its axis substantially horizontally offset from the chain, the said scutching cylinders of each pair having interleaved radially projecting vanes most of which have smooth finish brushing blades and others of which have marginally projectioning combs, housings at opposite sides of respective line chains about the scutching cylinders therebeneath for confining the air about the vanes of such cylinders and supporting portions of the line not acted upon by the cylinders of the respective pairs, the said housings having a unitary connecting portion merging smoothly with the respective housings and extending obliquely beneath the line chains at the time of line transfer from one of said chains to the other, the cylinder vanes being adapted to propel air currents for pneumatically floating the line pending the action of the vanes thereon and the transfer of the line from the first chain to the second chain and thereby exposing portions of the line held by the first chain to the scutching action of the cylinders of the second chain.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which the respective vanes of the several cylinders have initially short radius where first engaged with the line and progressively increasing in radius rectilinearly in the direction of line movement on the respective chains whereby the scutching action commences near the outer ends of the line and progressively increases in stroke to include substantially all portions of the line depending from the respective chains, said progressive increase of vane radius having axial extent of approximately one-half the length of the cylinders whereafter the vane is substantially parallel to the cylinder axis.

4. scutching apparatus comprising the combination with a line chain, of first and second cylinders having interleaved scutching vanes positioned to act alternately upon fibers supported from the line chain, the first cylinder being mounted for rotation upon an axis nearly centered beneath the line chain, whereby its said vanes project laterally at both sides of the chain and pass therebeneath in the rotation of said cylinder, the second cylinder being rotatably mounted upon an axis horizontally offset from the line chain and at nearly the same level as the line chain, its vanes passing downwardly in immediate proximity to the line chain, a housing projecting laterally and downwardly from the line chain and arcuately encircling that portion of the path of travel of the vanes of the cylinder beneath the line chain in which such vanes are ascending toward the line chain at the side thereof opposite the second mentioned cylinder, the

fibers supported by the line chain being fully exposed at the opposite side of the line chain to the scutching vanes of both cylinders as such vanes act alternately thereon, all of said vanes having relatively short radius at the ends of the cylinders at which such vanes are first encountered by fibers supported from the line chain and having relatively greater radius at the ends of the cylinders toward which said line chain moves such fibers, whereby the action of the vanes on the fibers commences near the outer end thereof and increases until it commences in close proximity to the line chain.

5. The device of claim 4 in further combination with a third scutching cylinder mounted beyond the first and second scutching cylinders and having radially projecting scutching vanes, 

